


ALMAMEN; 



— OR — 



The Conquest of Granada 



J^ TE^^OEHDY 



IN PIVE ACTS. 



BY M. PHISTER. 



ALMAMEN; 



— OR- 



The Conquest of Granada, 



m FIVE ACTS. 



BY M^. PHISTER. 



CINCINNATr 

1873. 



Almamen 

Muza 

Boabdil 

Ximcn 

Ferdinand 

Villena 

Priest 

\st Soldier "~ 

Leila 

Isabel 

Amine 

Soldiers, Monks, Nims, Guards, cj'c, ^t. 

Scene — Granada. 



OOSTTJIMIIHIS. 

ALMAMEN— Isf dress— A plain black robe, in fashion of Armenian 
gown, long and loose— tunic of bright scarlet— broad sword belt- 
small key hanging to belt— long, crooked and jeweled hilted dagger- 
black Jewish cap. 2nd (/ress— complete suit of armor. 

MUZA— Snow white turban with long black plume— bright steel breast- 
plate, white cloak— jeweled scimeter. 2nd dress— same, in dark 
colors. 

BOABDIL — Same as Muza, but richer. 

XIMEN— Long gown, Jewish cap, staff. 

FERDINAND— Armor and dress of Spanish knight. 

LEILA— Plain white dress for last act. 1st dress— ad libitum. 

ISABEL— Queen's robes and head-dress. 

AMINE— Moorish female costume. 

TMP9t^0C7066 



Entered according to Act of Congress in the year 1873 i'Ji»ie office of the 
Librarian of Congress at Washington, by M. PHIbiJi.K. 



THE CONQUEST OF GRANADA. 



j^Xjis/Lj>^js/L:E]i<r 



ACT I. 

Scene I. — Room and terrace of the Alhambra — several Moorish soldiers 
discovered — a sentinel passing to and fro. 

\st Soldier. Well my masters ! I am growing weary of this siege ; 
my bowels ci'y a truce to this fasting, and I verily believe that my 
niggard stomach would sell Granada for a piece of wholesome bread. 

2nd Sold. Thy tongue is a greater niggard than thy stomach to say so; 
but peace, whom have we here? \_Looking off L. 

2,rd Sold. God is great! it is the enchanter Almamen. 

2nd Sold. They say he hath locked up the spirit of Boabdil with 
the key of his spells. I would curse him if I dared. 

'^rd Sold. But they say that he hath promised that when man fails 
the genii will fight for Granada. 

\st Sold. Gave he no encouragement for the inner man? was there 
Tio mention of any thing digestible in the contract? 

'ird Sold. No, thou gourmand ! 

Ist Sold. Gourmand ! now do I look like a gourmand? I have eat 

nothing but my finger nails since the change of the moon. Ay, there 

content tliee ! [Slaps his stomach.'] cease thy growling! God is great! 

what is, is! what shall be, shall be! but let's away. \_Exeunt Soldiers. 

.Enter Almamen l musing., pauses at c and leans against column. 

Almamen. Was ever Aden more lovely? and shall so fair a spot be 
trodden by the victor Nazarene? humph ! what matters it? thus it is 
ever: Creed chases creed, race chases race, until time comes back to 
its starting place. 

[Gazes long and earnestly on stars — MuzA approaches from behind 
unobserved. 

Miiza. [Speaking after silence.] Pretender to the dark secrets, is it 
in the stars that thou art reading the destinies of men and nations? 

Aim. Prince, I was but considering how many revolutions which 
have shaken earth to its center, those orbs have witnessed unsympa- 
thizing and unchanged. 

Muza. Unsympathizing ! yet thou belicvcst in their eifect upon the 
earth ? 

Ahn. You wrong me noble sir, you confound your servant with that 
vain race, the astrologers. 

Muza. Fame lies to us then. 



4 almamen; or, 

Aim. Fame never made pretense to truth. Allah be with you 
prince! I seek the king. 

3Iuza. Stay! I have just quitted his presence, and left him, I trust, 
with thoughts worthy of the sovereign of Granada, which I would not 
have disturbed by a stranger — a man whose arms are not spear nor 
shield. 

Abn. Noble Muza fear not that my voice will weaken the inspira- 
tions which thine hath breathed into the breast of Boabdil. Alas ! if 
my counsel were heeded thou wouldst hear the warriors of Granada 
talk less of Muza, and more of the king. But Fate or Allah hath 
placed upon the throne of a tottering dynasty, one who, though brave, 
is weak, though wise, a dreamer. And you suspect the adviser when 
you find the influence of nature on the advised. Is this just? 

[^Muza gazes at Almamen earyiestly, then places his hand on his shoulder. 

Muza. Stranger, if thou playest us false, think that this arm, which 
hath cloven the casque of many a foe, will not spare the turban of a 
traitor. 

Aim. And think thou, proud prince, that I answer alone to Allah 
for my motives, and that against man my deeds I can defend. [Exit 
Muza.'] Go thou proud tongued Saracen, and though thou wert twice 
called the Lion of Granada, know that Almamen, the son of Issachor, 
the Jew, will yet teach thee to kneel. I hate thee ! first, because thou 
art a Saracen and persecutor of the Jews, and again I hate thee with 
a double hate, because I think thou lovest my daughter Leila; and, as 
I hate thee, I will poison the king's ear against thee, and when thou 
art gone Granada is food for the Christian dogs. [ Walks to one side. 

Enter Boabdil, not noticing Almamen — Scrolls of Parchment in hand. 

Boabdil. These scrolls of Arabian learning, what do they teach ? 
to despise wealth and power, to hold the heart to be the true empire. 
This then is wisdom [Discovers Almamen.'] Ah ! Almamen, well 
met, [Almamen bows, but remains silent.] my friend your counsels often 
soothe me into quiet, yet in such hours quiet is a crime. But what do ? 
who struggle? how act? alas! at the hour of my birth, rightly did 
they call me Boabdil, the unlucky. 

Aim. Light of the faithful, the powers above never doomed man 
to perpetual sorrow, nor perpetual joy. The cloud and the sunshine 
are alike essential to the heaven of our destinies ; and, if thou hast 
suifered in thy youth, thou hast exhausted the calamities of fate, and 
thy manhood will be glorious and thine age serene. 

Boab. Thou speakest as if the armies of Ferdinand were not al- 
ready around my walls. 

Aim. The armies of Sennacherib were as mighty. 

Boab. Wise seer, we, the Musselmen of Spain, are not the blind 
fanatics of the Eastern world. 

Aim. While my lord, the king, respects the fanaticism of belief, 
[excitedly.] he does not reject the fanaticism of persecution. You dis- 
believe the stories of the Hebrews, yet you suffer the Hebrews 



THE CONQUEST OF GRANABA. 5 

themselves to be ground to the dust and tortured by your judges, your 
informers, your soldiers and your subjects, 

Boab. The base misers ! they deserve their fate. Gold is their God, 
and the market-place their country. 

Aim. Your laws leave them no ambition, but that of avarice. The 
Hebrews were not trafficers and misers in their own sacred land. Let 
this pass, my lord rejects the belief in the agencies of the Angels; 
doth he still retain belief in the wisdom of mortal men? 

Boab. Yes, for of the one I know nought; of the other, mine own 
senses can be the judge. Almamen, Muza hath urgeil me to gird on 
yonder shield and scimeter, and to appear in the Vivarambla at the 
head of the nobles of Granada. My heart leaps high at the thought. 
If I can not live, at least I will die — a king. 

Aim. It is noialy spoken. 

Boab. You approve then my design ? 

Aim. The friends of the king can not approve the ambition of the 
king to die. 

Boab. Ha ! thou thinkest, then, I am doomed to perish in this 
struggle ? 

Aim. As the hour shall be chosen, wilt thou fall or triumph, 

Boab. And that hour? 

Aim. Is not yet come, 

Boab. Dost thou read the hour in the stars ? 

Aim. Let Moorish seers cultivate that fanatic credulity ; thy servant 
sees in the stars worlds mightier than this little earth, whose light 
would neither wane nor wink, if earth itself were swept from the 
infinities of space. 

Boab. Mysterious man ! whence then is thy knowledge of the 
future ? 

Aim. Oh king! this is my power, of other worlds know I naught; 
but of the things of this world, whether men, or, as your legends term 
them, Ghouls or Genii, I have learned something. To the future I 
myself am blind ; but I can invoke and conjure up those whose eyes 
are more piercing; whose natures are more gifted. 

Boab. Prove me thy power. 

Aim. [Starting off.] Be thy will obeyed. To-morrow night I wait 
thee. 

Boab. Where ? [ Comes back and ivhispers to the king.'] A fearful spot ! 

Aim. So is the Alhambra itself, great king; while Ferdinand is 
without the walls, and Muza within the city. 

Boab. Muza! darest thou mistrust my bravest warrior? 

Aim. What wise king will trust the idol of the king's army? 
[Speaking low and excitedly.'] did Boabdil fall to-morrow by a chance 
javelin, in the field, whom would the nobles and warriors place upon 
his throne ? doth it require an enchanter's lore to tell thee it would be 
Muza? 

Boab. Oh wretched state! oh miserable king ! am I never to have 
a friend ? 



6 ALMAMEN ; OR, 

Aim. A friend ! what king ever had? 

Boah. [^Excited.^ Away man! away! your cold and bloodless wis- 
dom freezes up all the veins of my manhood! leave me ! I would be 
alone! [A'my starts off. 

Aim. We meet to-morrow, at midnight, mighty Boabdil. May the 
king live forever. \^Exit Almamen at R. king L. 

END OF SCENE ONE. 



Scene II. — Garden of Almamen'' s Palace — Wing of Palace on r, with 

Practicable Window — Moonlight. 

MuzA enters over Garden Wall^ gives low ivhistle and claps his hands as 

Signal — Leila appears at Window above, then co7nes into Garden. 

Muza. Ah, Leila my beloved ! Muza awaits thee. 

Leila. Hush, speak low, I fear that our interviews are suspected, 
and this may be the last time we shall meet. 

Muza. Say not so, Leila. Sweet love, why this mystery ? why can 
not I learn thy origin, thy rank, thy parents? think you, beautiful 
Leila, that Granada holds a house lofty enough to disdain the alliance 
with Muza Ben Abil? sweet love if not too high to scorn me, what 
should war against our loves ? 

Lei. Alas ! the mystery thou complainest of is as dark to myself 
as thee. How often have I told thee that I know nothing of my 
birth or childhood fortunes, save a dim memory of a more distant and 
burning clime; where amidst sands, and wastes, springs the ever- 
lasting cedar, and the camel grazes on stunted herbage withering in 
the fiery air. There it seemed to me that I had a mother; fond eyes 
looked on me, and soft songs hushed me to sleep. 

Ahiza. Thy mother's soul has passed into thine. 

Lei. Borne hither, I passed from childhood into youth within these 
walls, slaves minister to my slightest wish ; and, they tell me, that 
treasures and splendor, that might glad a monarch are prodigalized 
around me. My father, a stern and silent man, visits me rarely. 
Sometimes months pass and I see him not. 

3Iuza. Know you not his name? 

Lei. Nor I, nor any of the household, save, perhaps, Ximen, the 
chief of the slaves, an old and withered man, whose very eye chills 
me into fear and silence. 

Muza. Strange. Yet why think you our love is discovered or can 
be thwarted? 

Lei. Hush ! {^Looking about.'] Ximen sought me to-day. " Maiden," 
said he, "men's footsteps have been traced within the gardens ; If 
your sire know this you will have looked your last upon Granada. 
Learn," he added, in a softer voice as he saw me tremble, " that per- 
mission were easier given thee to wed the wild tiger, than to mate with 



THE CONQUEST OF GRANADA. 7 

the loftiest noble of Granada," "Beware!" he spoke and left mc. 
Oh, Muza, my heart sinks within me ! and omen and doom rise dark 
before my sight. 

Muza. By my father's head these obstacles but fire my love ; and 
I would scale to thy possession, thoygh every step in the ladder were 
the corpse of a hundred foes. \^An arrow whizzes by as he finishes 
speaking. 

Lei. Fly ! fly and save thyself! 

Muza. [Turns and looks in direction from which arrow came, places 
hand on dagger^ turns and kisses Leila far ewe W] 
Good night! good night sweet! 

Lei. Good night! oh God, protect him ! [Muza escapes over wall — 

[exit Leila. 
Enter Almamen and Slaves. 

Aim. Spared! but haply for a more miserable doom. [Exit omnes 

END OF SCENE SECOND. 



Scene III. — Cavern or Vault under Almamen^ s Palace — Rough Stone 

Table, with Skull and Lighted Tapers, several Flasks of 

Wine, Old Armor, >^c. 

Enter Leila, Almamen and Ximen by Stairs from above — Ximen closes 
and bolts the door. 

Lei. [r. c. near footlights.] God of my fathers ! I bless thee ! he 
escaped unharmed ! and yet how may I pray for him? we kneel not 
to the same Divinity and I have been taught to loathe and shudder at 
his creed ! alas! how will this end ? fatal was the hour when he first 
beheld me, in the palace gardens; more fatal still the hour in which 
he crossed the barrier, and told Leila that she was beloved by the hero 
whose arm was the shelter, whose name is the blessing of Granada. 
Ah me ! ah me ! 

[Returns to back of Cavern as Ximen closes door and comes down — 
[Almamen, who reclines on couch, speaks. 

Abu. Ximen, fill out wine ! it is a soothing counsellor, and I need 
it. [Ximen takes flask from wall and fills cup. 

Fill to thyself old man ; drink till thy veins feel young. [He drinks.] 
Ximen, how many of our race have been butchered by the Moorish 
kings since first thou didst set foot within the city ? 

Ximen. Three thousand. [JIusing.] Ay, the number was completed 
last winter by order of Jusef, the vizier ; and their goods and coffers 
are transformed into shafts and scimeters, against the dogs of Galilee. 

Aim. [Slowly.] Three thousand, no more, three thousand only ! I 
w.ould the number had been tripled, for the interest is becoming due ! 

Xim. Ay ! ay ! my brother, and my son, and my grandson are 
among the number. 



Aim. Their monuments shall be in hecatombs of their tyrants. 
They shall not, at least, call the Jews niggards in revenge. 

Xm. Pardon me, noble chief of a fallen people, thinkest thou we 
shall be less dispoiled and trodden under foot by yon haughty and 
stiflF-necked Nazarenes, than by tire Arabian misbelievers ? 

^4^771. Accused in truth are both, but one promises more fairly than 
the other. I have seen this Ferdinand and his proud queen ; they 
are pledged to accord us rights and immunities we have never known 
before in Europe. 

Xim And they will not touch our gold? 

AI771. Out on thee — I would all the gold of earth were sunk into 
the everlasting pit; it is this mean, and miserable, and loathsome 
leprosy of avarice that gnaws from our whole race the heart, the soul, 
nay, the very form of man! [Crosses the stage.'\ Ximen dost thou feel 
assured that mine own countrymen, mine own tribe know me not as 
one of them ? were my despised birth and religion published, my 
limbs would be torn asunder as an impostor, and all the arts of the 
Cabala could not save me, 

Xi'm. Doubt not, great master ; none in Granada, save thy faithful 
Ximen, know thy secret. 

Aim. So let me dream and hope. 

JCim. You resolve then upon prosecuting vengeance on the Moors, 
at whatsoever hazard of the broken faith of these Nazarenes? 

Aim. Ay, the vapor of human blood hath risen unto heaven, and 
collected into thunder clouds, that hang over the doomed and guilty 
city. And now, Ximen, I have a new cause of hatred to the Moors. 
The flower that I have reared and watched, the spoiler hath sought to 
pluck it from my hearth. Leila — thou hast guarded her ill Ximen, 
and wert thou not endeared to me, by thy very malice and vices, the 
rising sun should have seen thy trunk on the waters of the Darro. 

JTim. My lord — 

Aim. Away huckster! out of my sight! [Exit Ximen.] Leila! 

Lei. [Coming forward.^ Did my father call? 

Aim. [Seats himself and motions Leila to be seated.] These tears are 
fresh upon thy cheek. They are the witness of thy race; our daugh- 
ters are born to weep, and our sons to groan ! ashes are on the head 
of the mighty, and the fountains of the beautiful run with gall I oh, 
that we could but struggle ! that we could but dare ! that we could 
raise our heads and unite against the bondage of the evil doer! it 
may not be, but one man shall avenge a nation ! enough of these 
thoughts, which thou a woman and a child are not formed to witness. 
Leila thou hast been murtured with tenderness. Harsh and unloving 
I may have seemed to thee, but God knows I would have shed the 
best drops of my heart, to have saved thy young heart a single pain. 

Lei. My father — 

Abn. Nay, listen to me silently. That thou mightest one day be 
worthy of thy race, and that thy hours might not pass in indolent and 
weary lassitude, thou hast been taught the lessons of a knowledge 



THE CONQUEST OF GRANADA. 9 

rarely given thy sex. These scrolls and lessons of our seers, have 
imparted to thee such of our science, an<l our history As may fit thy 
mind to aspire and thy heart to feel for a sacred cause. Thou listenest 
to rne, Leila? 

Lei. Yes my father, I listen. 

Aim. [^Rises, lifts his right hand and places his left on the shoulder of 
Leila.'] Then arise and curse the persecutors! daughter of the great 
Hebrew race, arise, and curse the Moorish task master and spoiler! 

Lei. [Falls at Almamen s feet and clasjis his Jcnees.] Oh, spare me I 
father, spare me ! 

Aim. [Ijooks at her in surjMse.] God of Abraham ! [Plays nervously 
with handle of dagger^ pulls it out and throws it at his feet.] Degenerate 
girl I If thou hast admitted to thy heart one unworthy thought 
towards a Moorish infidel, dig deep and root it out, even with that 
knife — So wilt thou save these hands from that degrading task. 

[Rushes off as curtain falls — Pauses at door — Tableaux. 

KND OF ACT FIRST. 



ACT II. 

Scene I. Palace of Ferdinand. 
Ferdinand, Villena, Perez and others discovered. 

King Ferdinand. You see Villena, our best hopes of speedily gaining 
the city is rather in the dissension of the Moors than our own sacred 
arms. The lion does not disdain to serve himself of tlie fox; and 
fortunately we have now in Granada an ally that fights for us. I 
have actual knowledge of all that passes within the Alhambra. I trust 
that an intrigue by which BoabdiTs jealousies are aroused against his 
general Muza, may end either in the loss of that able leader, or in 
open rebellion or civil war. Treason within Granada will open its 
gates to us. 

Villena. Upon what grounds your majesty builds these hopes of 
dissension among the Moors, I know not ; but it is clear, that we should 
relax no energy within our means, but fight while we plot, and seek 
to conquer while we do not neglect to undermine, 

Fer. You speak well my lord, and you yourself, sliall lead on a 
strong detachment to-morrow, to lay waste the Vega. Perez, has the 
person fiom Granada yet arrived ? 

Perez. Sire, yes; accompanied by a maiden. 

Fer. He hath kept his word ; let him enter. 

Fnter Almamen and Leila. 

Almamen. When last, great king, I was admitted to thy presence, 
thou didst make question of the sincerity and faith of thy servant. 
Lo, I place under j^our kingly care, this maiden ; sole child of my 
house, as surety of my truth. I trust to thee a life dearer than my 
own. 



10 ALMAMEN ; OK, 

Fer. You have kept faith with us stranger, and the maiden whom 
you intrust to our charge, shall be ranked with the first ladies of our 
royal court. 

Aim. Sire, you now hold the power of life and death over all for 
whom this heart can breathe a prayer or cherish a hope, save for my 
countrymen and my religion. This solemn pledge between thee and 
me, I render without scruple, without fear. To thee I give a hostage ; 
from thee I have but a promise. 

Fer. But it is the promise of a king, a christian and a knight ; 
among monarchs what hostage can be more sacred ? let this pass. How 
proceed affairs in the rebel city ? 

Aim,. May this maiden withdraw, ere I answer my lord the king? 

Fer. What, ho Perez, accompany this maiden to the queen's pa- 
vilion. [Perez starts forward. 

Leila. Oh, my father ! what have I done ? why send me from 
thee ? why intrust thy child to a stranger ? spare me, — spare me ! 

Aim. [Leading Lelia to r of front.'] Child of my heart, even as 
Abraham oifered up his son, must I ofier thee upon the altar of our 
faith ; buto! , Leila, even as the Angel of the Lord forbade the offering, 
so shall thy youth be spared; and thy years reserved for the glory of 
generations yet unborn. [Presses her to his bosom and kisses her, then 
walks to other side of stage. 

Lei. [After pause. 1 Man deserts me, but I will not forget that God 
is over all. Lead on, I follow thee. [Exeunt Perez and Leila. 

Fer. And now, how proceed our hopes ? 

Aim. Boabdil is aroused against both his army and their leader, 
Muza. Ere I left the city, Muza himself was in the prison of the 
palace. 

Fer. How ? 

Aim. This is my work. It is these hands that are shaping for Fer- 
dinand of Spain the keys of Granada. 

Fer. And right kingly shall be your guerdon. Meanwhile, accept 
this, earnest of our favor. [Offers him a gold chain from neck. 

Aim. [ Throwing it on ground.] I sell not my foes for gold, great king ! 
I sell my foes to buy the ransom of my friends. 

Fer. Churlish. [Aside.] But speak on man, speak on. 

Aim. If I place Granada, ere two weeks are passed within thy 
power, what shall be my reward ? 

Fer. Dost thou talk of immunities to the Jews ? 

Aim. I demand for the people of Israel free leave to trade and 
abide within the city, and follow their callings, subjected only to the 
same laws and the same imports as the christian population. 

Fer. [Haughtily.] The same laws and the same imports; humph ! 
There are difficulties in the concession. What if we refuse ? 

Abn. Refuse ! our treaty is ended. Give me back the maiden ; you 
will have no further need of the hostage you demanded ; I return to 
the city and renew our interviews no more. 

Fer. Thou usest plain language, my friend ; thou art in my power 
and cannot return save at my permission. 



THE CONQUEST OF GRANADA. 11 

Aim. I have your royal word sire, for free entrance and safe 
egress ; break it and Granada is with the Moors until the ?)arro runs 
red with the blood of her heroes. 

Fer. Art thou thyself of the Jewish faith, that thou wouldst make 
these outcasts of the world so dear to thee ? 

Aim. My fathers were of that creed, royal Ferdinand, and if I 
myself desert their creed I do not desert their cause. Oh, king, are 
my terms accepted ? 

Fer. I accept them ; provided first, that thou obtainest the exile or 
death of Muza ; secondly, that within two weeks from this date, thou 
bringst me along with the Chief Counsellors of Granada, the written 
treaty of the capitulation and the keys of the city. Do this, and 
though the sole king in christiedom, who dares the hazard I offer 
to the Israelites throughout Andalusia: the common laws and rights 
of citizens of Spain. And to thee I will accord such dignity, as may 
content thy ambition. 

Aim. [Bows^ draws from his breast a scroll ivhich he places before the king. 
This writing, mighty Ferdinand, contains the articles of our compact. 

Fer. How knave ! wouldst thou have us commit our royal signature 
to conditions with such as thou? the king's word is the king's bond. 

Aim. \_Coolt/ takes up scroll and shrugs shoulders.^ My child ! will 
your majesty summon back my child ? we would depart. 

Fer. [Aside.l A sturdy mendicant, this, by the Virgin. Give me 
the paper, I will scan it. 

\_ lie finally signs the scroll — Almamen takes it up, kisses it reverently 
and places it in his breast. 
And how stranger, can I trust that man that distrusts one king and 
sells another ? 

Aim. Dost not thou, the lord of armies betray thine enemy ? the 
Moor is an enemy bitterer to myself than thee. Because I betray an 
enemy am I unworthy to serve a friend ? 

Fer. Thou art a subtle reasoner, my friend. Peace go with thee ; our 
conference for the time is ended. What oh, Perez, thou hast left the 
maiden with the queen ? 

Perez. Sire, you have been obeyed. 

Fer. Conduct this stranger to the guard who led him through the 
camp. He quits us under the same protection. Farewell ; yet stay, 
thou art assured Muza is in the prisons of the Moor ? 

Aim. Thou hast my surety, great king. 

END SCENE I. [Fxit Omnes. 



Scene ll.~— Room in palace of Alhambra — Noise of Shouting outside. 
Enter 1st Soldier arid Amelia. 

Amelia. Wliat means these boisterous shouts ? the guards and 
Alfaquis seem beside themselves with joy. 



12 ALMAMEN ; OR, 

1st Sold. Bosh ! don't bother one, when one is thinking. 

Am. Thinking ! I wai-rant you think of naught but eating. But 
come, tell why this noise. 

1st Sold. And if you will know, thou piece of ignorance, Muza has 
been released from prison. 

Am. Released! why I heard nothing of his imprisonment. Now 
tell us thou wise one, thou chief counsellor to the king, thou 
prophesyer of good dinners, how came this about? 

1st Sold. Oh, the importunity of these bowels ! in faith I am so 
hungry I can not stay to tell thee. 

Am. But I have the key of the queen's pantry. 

1st Sold. Hast thou, indeed? then listen. 

Am. In faith I am so hungry I can not stay to hear thee. 

1st Sold. But thou shalt hear if I starve in telling thee. You must 
know The king being jealous of Muza, on accountof certain prophesies 
of Almamen concerning his future greatness — but hist, here comes 
the king. [Exit both. 

Enter Boabdil r. and Muza l. — Boabdil followed by guards. 

Boab. Forgive me M«za, forgive me. How could I have wronged 
thee thus. \^Embraces 3Iu2a.'] Yes, Muza, your example shames, but 
it fires me — Granada henceforth shall have two chieftains ; and, if I 
be jealous of thee, it shall be from an emulation thou canst not blame. 
Guards retire. Ho, Mesnour ! proclaim at day-break that I myself 
will review the troops on the Vivarambla. Yet stay ! seek me thyself 
at day-break, and I will give thee my commands. 

3Iuza. Why hesitate great king? why waver? prosecute thine own 
kingly designs, and — 

Boab. [^Looking about.'] Hush ! Muza, when in our younger days, 
Ave conve sed together, do you remember how often that converse 
turned upon these solemn and mysterious themes, to which the sages 
of our ancestral land directed their deepest lore ? 

Muza. Yes, sire, well do I remember it. 

Boab. Thou wonderest what this should lead to — listen ! Two nights 
since I was with the dead. My father appeared before me — not as I 
knew him in life, but wan, calm and shadowy. From lips on which 
Azrael had set his livid seal, he bade me beware of thee ! Witli one 
hand raised he pointed where burned like an orb of gloomy fire, a 
broad dial-plate, on which were graven these words: "Beware," 
" Muza," " Beware." The finger of the dial moved rapidly around 
and rested at the Avord "Beware." Under the influence of this warn- 
ing I issued the order for thy arrest. 

3Iuza. Commander of the faithful ! pardon thy friend, wert thou 
alone, or was the Santon, Almamen, thy companion ? 

Boab. Why the question? 

Muza. I fear his truth. The Christian king conquers more foes by 
craft than force; his spies are more deadly than his warriors. This 
Almamen — Who is he? a stranger not of our race and blood. But 



THE CONQUEST OF GRANADA. 13 

this morning I found him without the walls not far from the Chris- 
tian camp. 

Boab. Ha ! and what said he? 

Muza. Little but in hints; sheltering himself by loose hints under 
thy name. 

Boab. Ha ! what dared he own? Muza, what were those hints? 

Muza. My Lord, as we did try by means of threats and bribes to 
squeeze the truth from him, we were beset by a party of Spanish 
horsemen. The foremost fell by Almaraen's hand, but ere we could 
render him timely rescue, he was o'erpowered and carried off in 
chains. 

Boab. It is a strange and awful man, guards and chains will not 
detain him ; ere long he will return, But thou, at least, Muza, art 
henceforth free alike from the suspicions of the free, and the warnings 
of the dead. No, my friend, it is better to lose a crown ; nay, life 
itself! than confidence in a heart like thine. Once again, Muza, will 
I inspect the magic tablet — Perchance, the hour may have arrived. 

\_Exit BOABDIL.] 

Muza. So brave, and yet so weak; so weak, and yet so obstinate; 
so wise a reasoner, yet so credulous a dupe. Unhappy Boabdil ! the 
stars, indeed, seem to fight against thee, and their influence at thy 
birth marred all thy gifts and virtues with counteracting infirmity 
and error. 

XiMEN enters L. 

Xim. What fool's errand is this that I am on— to seek my master 
in the king's palace. Alack, a day ! alack, a day ! he has been gone 
a weary while, and I am as wild of the chase here as in the land of 
Israel. \_Sees Muza.'] Master, canst thou tell me aught of Almanen, the 
Santon? 

Muza. \_Starts.'] By the Prophet, this is the haggard that prowls 
about the gardens of Leila. \_Starts eagerly toioard him. 

Xim. Nay master; nay, I meant not to offend. 

Muza. Hush ! fear me not, I am a friend. Thou art old, man ; gold 
is ever welcome to the aged. \_Givex him gold. 

Xivi. Charitable young man ! generous, benevolent, excellent 
young man. 

Muza. Now then — Leila, the maiden, tell me of her ; is she well ? 

Xim. I trust so — I trust so noble master. 

Muza. Trust so ! Knoio you not of her state ? 

Xim. Not I; for many nights I have not seen her, excellent sir. 
She hath left Granada; she hath gone. 

Muza. Gone! left Granada — woe is me, — and whither? There, 
there, more gold for you. Old man tell me whither ? 

Xivi. Alas ! I know not, most magnanimous young man. I am 
but a servant; I know nothing. 

Muza. When will she return ? 

Xim. I can not tell thee. 



14 ALMAMEN ; OR, 

Muza. Who is thy master? Didst say Almamen ? {^Aside.'] Can she 
be his daughter? 

Xim. Nay master, I said not Almamen. My master, good sir, is a 
Moor ; a wealthy Moor of Africa ; but he hath gone, he but seldom visits 
us. Granada is not so peaceful a residence as it was ; I would go too 
if I could. Thou hast done with me young warrior? \_Muza motions 
hivi aioay. 

Pleasant dreams to thee, under the new moon. Farewell, bless thy 
charity to the poor old man ! \^Exit Ximen. 

Muza. Leila gone ! AVhat, ho Gazan ! 

Enter Gazan. 

Arm, Gazan, arm ! let the trumpets sound to arms — Now shall the 

Darro flow with blood ! throw wide the gates; [^Bugles play.'] sound, 

trumpets, sound; Granada now is my only mistress ! [Busiiiess. 

END ACT II, 



ACT III. 

Scene I. — Cell of Tribunal. 

Enter Guards with Almamen in chains — High Altar Priest at head of 

table — Several Priests seated — Guards at back. 

Priest Prisoner, a less haughty and stubborn demeanor might 
have better suited your condition ; but no matter, our church is meek 
and humble. We have sent for thee in a charitable and paternal 
hope ; for, although as spy and traitor, thy life is already forfeited, 
Yet would we fain redeem and spare it to repentance — that liope mayst 
thou not forgoe, for the nature of all of us is weak and clings to life, 
that straw of the drowning seaman. 

Aim. Priest, if such thou art, I have already, when first brought to 
the christian camp explained the causes of my detention among the 
troops of the Moors. It was my zeal for the King of Spain that brought 
me into that peril. Escaping from that peril, incurred in his behalf, 
is the King of Spain to be my accuser and my judge. If, however, my 
life now be sought as the grateful return for the proifer of inestimable 
service, I stand here to yield it. Do thy worst ! and tell thy master that 
he loses more by my death than he can win by the lives of twenty 
thousand warriors. 

Priest. Cease this idle babble ; nor think thou couldst ever decieve 
with your empty words, the mighty intellect of Ferdinand of Spain. 
Thou hast now to defend thyself against still greater charges, than 
those of treachery to the king whom thou didst profess to serve. Yea, 
unbeliever as thou art, it is thine, to vindicate thyself from blasphemy 
against the God thou shouldst adore. Confess the truth : Thou art of 
the trilDe and faith of Israel. 

Aim. Man is a judge of the deeds of men, but not of their opinions. 
I will not answer thee ! 



THE CONQUEST OF ORANADA. 16 

Priest. Pause — we have means at hand that the strongest nerves 
and the stoutest hearts have failed to encounter. Pause, — confess ! 

Aim. Thy threat awes me not. But I am human, and since thou 
wouldst know the truth, thou mayst learn it without the torture. I am 
of the same race as the Apostles of thy church. I am a Jew ! 

Priest. He confesses. — write down the words. Prisoner, thou hast 
done wisely ; and we pray the Lord that, acting thus, thou mayst 
escape both the torture and the death. And in that faith thy daughter 
was raised ? Answer. 

Aim. My daughter ! there is no charge against her ! by the God of 
Sinai and Horeb you dare not touch a hair of that innocent head ! 

Priest. Answer. 

Aim. I do answer : She was brought up, no renegade to her fath- 
er's faith. 

Priest. Write down the confession. Prisoner, but few more 
questions remain ; answer them truly and thy life is saved. In thy 
conspiracy to raise thy brotherhood of Andalusia, to power and influ- 
ence — or as you didst craftily term it, to equal laws with the followers 
of our blessed Lord, — in thy conspiracy (by what dark acts I seek not 
now to know) to entangle in wanton aflFections to thy daughter the 
heart of the Prince of Spain, — Silence ! I say — be still ! in this con- 
spiracy, thou wert aided, abetted or instigated by certain Jews of 
Andalusia — 

Aim. Hold Priest ! thou didst name my child. Do I hear aright? 
Placed under the sacred charge of a king and a belted knight, has 
she — oh answer me, I implore thee — been insulted by the licentrous 
addresses of that king's own lineage ? Answer ! I am a Jew, — but I am 
a father and a man. 

Priest. This pretended passion deceives us not ; reply to the 
question put to thee : name thy accomplices ? 

Aim. I have told thee all. Thou hast refused to answer me, I scorn 
and defy thee ; my lips are closed ! 

\_Priest motions to attendants who draw hack curtains and reveal 

headsman with ax and block. 
They strike off his fetters and lead him to the block. 
He pauses suddenly. 

Aim. Priest, the tidings that thou didst communicate to me 
respecting the sole daughter of my house and love, confused me for 
a moment. Suffer me but for a single moment to recollect my senses, 
and I will answer without compulsion, all thou may st ask. Permit i\\y 
questions to be repeated. 

Priest. Prisoner, could we save thee from pain, even by the anguish 
of our own flesh and blood, heaven is our judge that we would 
willingly undergo the torture which with grief and sorrow we ordain 
to thee. Pause ! take breath, — collect thyself. Three minutes shalt 
thou have to consider what course to adopt, ere we repeat the question. 
But then beware how thou triflest with our indulgence. 

Aim. It suffices. I thank thee. \^Aside^ walking dotvn c] Now must I 



16 ALMAMEN ; OR, 

resort to artifice. I know a secret passage 'neath this vault; if this 
avails me not, then perish the race of Issachor. 

Turns suddenly on guard and stabs him ; strikes rock, flames dart 

out and Ahnamcn disappears. 
Chord in Orchestra. 
Priest. The fiend hath been amongst us. Heaven protect us ! 

SCENE CLOSES. 



Scene II. Room in Palace of Queen. Leila discovered seated 
at window. 

Leila. IIow many, many weary nights have I watched from this 
window, to where Granada lifts her shining towers ; and yet no 
tidings. Oh, Muza can it bo that thou too hast forgotten me ? 

Zerlina. Speak you of your father, madam ? 

Lei. My father? nay sweet child, I spoke not of my father. Ah, 
how selfish is this thing of love. I had forgot 1 had a father; and so 
raethinks he has forgot his child, or else some evil has befallen him. 
Zerlina, thy harp ; my soul is weary and wants the bath of music. 

[Zerlina plays and sings. 

Softly, Oh softly glide, 

Gentle music, thou silver tide ; 

Bearing the lull'd air along, 

This leaf from the Rose of Song. 

To its port in his soul let it float, 
The frail but the fragrant boat. 
Bear it soft air along. 

Lei. [Interrupting her.^ Peace, break oflF,— see there the christian 
horsemen have bound a captive Moor. Haste child, and ask how 
fares the Lion of Granada ; how fares the noble Muza. If he be well, 
rich shall be thy reward ; if he be dead, — nay I'll not think on it. 
[Exit Zerlina.'] Oh, Muza, what were ten thousand fathers to a love like 
thine. 

Reenter Zerlina. 

Zer. Good my lady, the noble Muza's dead : — slain they say, in 
yesterday's battle. 

Lei. Muza dead ! then life and love and hope farewell ; now will I 
hesitate no longer, but in the living grave of some dark convent's 
walls, I will abide while life remains. Muza, I still am thine ! 
Page announces Queen. Enter Queen. 

Queen. Maiden, I fear thou hast been strangely harrassed ; think 
of it no more, if thou wilt accept the asylum offered — 

Lei. [Falls on one knee.] Ah, madam, most joyfully, most gratefully 
will I accept any asylum which proffer solitude and peace. 

Queen. The asylum, to which I would fain lead thy steps, is indeed 
one whose solitude is holy ; whose peace is that of heaven. Thou wilt 
not hesitate to quit the camp? 



THE CONQUEST OF GRANADA. 17 



Lei. Hesitate madam ? ah, rather how shall I express my thanks. 

Queen. I did not read that face misjudgingly. Be it so: we will not 
lose another night. Withdraw yonder through tlie inner door, the 
litter shall be straight prepared for thee ; and at midnight thou shalt 
sleep in safety under the roof of one of the saintliest convents that 
our realm can boast. Thou shalt bear with thee a letter, that shall 
commend thee especially to the care of the Mother Superior. Thou wilt 
find her of a kindly and fostering nature. And, oh maiden, steel not 
thy heart against her; listen with ductile senses to her gentle min- 
istry. And may God and his Son prosper that pious lady's counsel, 
so that it may win a new strayling to the Immortal Fold. 

[Leila starts off — stops suddenly at door c. 

Lei. Pardon me, gracious queen, but dare I ask thee one question; 
it is not of myself? 

Queen. Speak and fear not. 

Lei. My father, — hath aught been heard of him? he promised 
that ere the fifth day were past he would once more see his child ; and 
alas that date is past, and I am still alone in the dwelling of the 
stranger. 

Queen. Unhappy child, thou knowst not his treason nor his fate. 
\^Aside.'] No doubt there are reasons sufficient to forbid your meeting. 
But thou shalt not lack friends in the dwelling of the stranger. 
Take comfort, poor child, — weep not, all have their cares; our duty 
is to bear in this life, reserving hope for the next. 

[Leila falls on knees before queen — takes her hand. 

Lei. Are you too unhappy ? I will pray for you to my God. 

Queen. And thy prayers shall avail thee and me when thy God and 
mine are the same. [Exit Leila. 

Queen. [Looking after Leila.] Go my sweet convert, thouart now 
the object no longer of my compassion but my envy ; and earnestly 
do I feel convinced of the blessed repose thy spirit will enjoy in the lap 
of the Mother Church. Happy are they who die young ; but thrice 
happy they who die in the spirit rather than the flesh; dead to sin, 
but not to virtue ; to terror, not to hope ; to man, but not to God ! 

[Enter Almamen — unobserved lays his hand on shoulder of Queen — 
he holds a knife over her — she gives a faint shriek. 

Aim. Hush ! utter a cry I breath more loudly than thy wont, and 
queen though thou art, in the center of swarming thousands, thou 
diest. 

Queen. What is thy purpose ? wouldst thou murder me ? 

Aim. Thy life is safe, if thou strivest not to elude or deceive me. 
Our time is short. Answer me ! I am Almamen, the Hebrew. Where is 
the hostage rendered to thy hands? I claim my child. She is with 
thee — I know it ! in what corner of thy camp ? 

Queen. Rude stranger, thy daughter is removed, I trust, forever, 
from thine impious reach. She is not within the camp. 

Ahu. Lie not. Queen of Castile, [He raises his knife.^ I have tracked 
thy steps ; followed thy march ; haunted even thy slumbers, though 



18 ALMAMEN ; OR, 



men of mail stood as guards around them ; and I know my daughter 
has been with thee. Think not I brave this danger without resolves 
the most fierce and dread. Answer me ! where is my daughter ? 

Queen. Many hours since thy daughter left this castle for the house 
of God ; It was her own desire. The Savior hath received her into 
his fold. 

Aim, \^ After pause.'] Great God ! the fiend hath again deceived me. 
But I will be revenged ! 

\^He rushes behind scenery and sets fire to palace — red lights — enters 
with torch in hand — queen screams and faints. 
Let Ferdinand look to it! woe to the champions of the Cross, if the 
White Banner of Almamen floats on the wind ? Beware ! \^Exit. 

Soldiers rush on as curtain descends — Tableaux. 

END ACT III. 

ACT IV. 

Scene I. Interior of BoabdiVs Palace. 

Enter Boabdil and Amine — sound of trumpets and drums — burst of 
artillery outside. 

Amine. May the king live forever ! His armies have gone forth to 
conquer. 

Boabdil. But without their king ; and headed by one that shames 
his master. I am meshed in the nets of inextricable fate. 

Am. Oh, my lord ! would that these humble lips dared utter other 
words than those of love. 

Boab. And what wise counsel would you give me ? speak on. 

Am. I will obey thee, then, even if it displeases. — I am a daughter 
of Granada; I am the beloved of a king; I will be true to my birth 
and to my fortunes ; Boabdil El Chico, the last of a line of heroes, 
shake off these gloomy fantasies, these doubts and dreams that 
smother the fire of a great nation and kingly soul ! Awake ! arise ! 
rob Granada of her Muza. — Be thyself her Muza. Trustest thou t^ 
magic and to spells ? then grave them on thy breast plate ! write 
them on thy sword! and live no longer the dreamer of the Alham- 
bra. Become the savior of thy people ! 

Boab. Out of the mouth of women cometh my rebuke — it is well ! 

Am. [Falling at his knees.] Pardon me. Pardon me, but blame me 
not that I would have thee worthy of thyself. AVert thou not happier, 
was not thy heart more light and thy hope more strong, when at the 
head of tliine armies thine own scimeter slew thine own foes, and the 
terror of the Hero-King spread in flame and slaughter from the 
mountains to the seas? Boabdil, dear as thou art to me — equally as 
I would have loved thee hadst thou been born a lowly fisherman of 
the Darro — since thou art a king, I would have thee die a king; even 



THE CONQHEST OF ORANADA. 19 

if my own heart broke as I armed thee for the latest battle. 

Boah. Thu knowest not what thou sayest, Amine, nor canst thou 
tell what spirits that are not of earth dictate to the actions, and 
watch over the destinies of the rulers of nations. If I delay, if I 
linger, it is not from terror, but from wisdom. The cloud must gather 
on dark and slow, ere the moment for the thunderbolt arrives. 

[Almamen enters suddenly unobserved from behind scene, completely 
armed, tvith tvhite banner in hand. 

Almamen. On thine house will the thunderbolt fall, since over thine 
own house thou sufferesi the cloud to gather. 

Boab. \^Starts.'\ Almamen! Your presence is unexpected. 

Almamen. Ay, and unwelcome ; so is ever that of your true friends. 

Boab. Hold, Santon. I am still a king — nor will I be thus bearded 
by such as thou — withdraw. 

Aim. Nay, hear me. King of Granada the hour hath come at last ; 
go forth and conquer. With the christian monarch there is no hope 
of peace or compact. At thy request I sought him, but spells alone 
and my own cunning, preserved the life of thy herald. Rejoice! for 
thine evil destinies have rolled away from thy spirit like a cloud from 
the glory of the sun. The Genii of the East have woven this banner 
from the rays of benignant stars. It shall beam before thee ! It shall 
rise over the rivers of Christian blood ! As the moon sways the 
bosom of the tides, it shall sway and direct the surges and the course 
of war. 

Boab. Man of mysteiy, thou hast given me a new life. 

Aim. And lighting by thy side I will assist to carve out for thee 
from the luins of Arragon and Castile the grandeur of a new throne. 
Arm, Monarch of Granada — Arm ! I hear the neigh of thy charger 
in the midst of mailed thousands. 

Boab. We will, we will — what, ho! summon our alfaquis ! — we will 
proclaim a holy war. The sovereign of the lost possessions of the 
Moors is in the field. Not a town that contains a Moslem but shall 
receive our summons, and we will gather round our our standard all 
the children of our faith. 

AIL \_Shout.'\ May the King live forever! 
[^Bugles and business.'] 



Scene II — Act IV. 

Field of battle near Granada — the Alhambra in the distance — e7iter 
army of Boabdil. 

Boabdil. Men of Granada, the advance of the enemy is to 
their destruction. Let us forth, each and all. We will leave our 
homes unguarded — our hearts shall be their wall ! True that our num- 



20 ALMA MEN ; OR, 



bers are thinned by famine and by slaugliter, but enough of us are 
yet left for the redemption of Granada. Nor are the dead departed 
fi-om us — their souls animate our own. He who has lost a brother 
becomes twice a man. 

[^Bugle sounds in distance — enter Moorish soldier. 
Soldier. iVIy Lord the foe is on the march. They come this way. 
Boah. So let it be — king against king we tight, let Allah decide 
between us. Give me a truer sword — where is the prophet Almamen ? 
Aim. [Corning forivard.'] Before the great king — 
JJoab. And the charmed banner is still thine ? 
Aim. Ay, and where it floats there is victory. 

Boah. 'Tis well, Muza ! [Muza comes forward and hows to king'\ 
Fight thou by my side — on this battle we set all. Empire or Exile, 
Liberty or Chains — Forward! [Shouts., trumpets^ ,^c. Exeunt onines. 

[Enter party of soldiers fgh ting — the christians are driven back — a 
erg of alarm and moors cross stage in confusion — Muza fol- 
lows calling after them. 
Muza. Hold, cravens, do ye fly in the sight of your wives and 
daughters ? Would ye not rather they beheld you die ? 

Soldiers. The Santon't* banner is in the hands of the infidel — all 

is lost! [They continue fleeing . 

[Enter Almamen covered tvith hlood. 

Aim. I have been juggled with — not thus will I yield. The genii 

have forsaken me. The white banner fell before the cross. Ha! — this 

wound — 

[Enter Prince Juan.] 
Prince. Where art thou, Jewish dog, that would play the war- 
rior? — where art thou Almamen ? 

Aim. Before thee, perjured prince of the Nazerenes — now we have 
met at last — now by the God of Sinai thou shall pay for the insult to 
my daughter. No longer prince and jew — monarch and dervise, but 
man to man we fight. I am Almamen — die! 

[They flght — the 'Pri^cf. falls dead — Almamen drops sword, stag- 
gers and falls — flourish of drums — moorish soldiers flee across stage. 
Aim. Leila thou shalt be avenged — help! Bind up this wound. 

[Soldier supports him. 
Soldier. My Lord, our pursuers are on us — the horsemen of the 
Spaniards — Hark ! hear you not the sound of their rushing steeds ? 
Abti. Let them come on ; these limbs are sacred from the rack. 

[Exit, supported hy soldier. 



Scene III — Act IV. 

Noise of tear still heard loithout — e7iter Boabdil and Muza. 

Boahdil. By the prophet, the Christians fight hard. The Santon, 
Muza, the Santon, came he not within the walls? 



THE CONQUEST OF GRANADA. 21 



3Iuza. He has not been seen, my lord. Some say that he is slain. 

Boab. Nay, nay. Believe it not, Miiza — he cannot die. 

[Enter Queen JUother.] My son, dost thou return and not a con- 
queror ? 

Boab. Mother? 

[Filter hastily, Amine, /<xWs about his neck. 

Armine. My beloved ! my king ! Light of my soul, thou hast 
returned. Welcome, for thou art safe, 

Boab. Thou seest, my mother, how great the contrast between 
those who love us from affection, and those who love us from pride. 
In adversity, God keep me, () my mother, from thy tongue. [Ttumpet 
sounds.] Hark, the trumpet ! 
[Enter a messenger. 

Messenger. The heralds of Ferdinad of Spain, great king, are at 
the gates — they demand the immediate surrender of the city on such 
terms as before presented, or else it is the intention of the Christian 
king to give it up to pillage ere to-morrow's sun. 

Boab. Sav to them, their monarch shall have our answer ere niglit 
fall. 

[An old man, chief of the Alfaquis, approaches and kneels at the 
feet of Boabdil. 

Old man. king! fight not against the will of fate. Son of a 
race of heroes! would that thy servant had fallen dead, ere the lips 
of a moorish noble had been polluted by the words that 1 now utter. 
Our state is hopeless ; our granaries are as the sands of the desert ; 
there is in them life for neither man nor beast. The war horse that 
bore the hero is now consumed for his food, and the population of the 
city with one voice cry for chains and bread. 

Boab. Muza, thou hast heard all ; what is the last counsel that 
thou canst give thy sovereign ? 

Muza. King of Granada, this is the counsel of Muza : Let us 
arouse the people. Two hundred thousand inhabitants are yet within 
the walls ; of these, twenty thousand at least are moors who have hands 
and swords. Hitherto we have depended too much upon the nobles. 
Let us collect our whole force and march again to the attack. Hear 
me, God and Prophet of the Moslem ! hear one who never was for- 
sworn. If, Moors of Granada, ye adopt my counsel, I cannot promise 
ye victory, but I promise ye never to live without it. I promise ye at 
least independence — for the dead know no chains. If we cannot live, 
let us so die that we may leave to remotest ages a glory that shall be 
more durable than kingdoms. 

Boab. Warriors and sages, as Muza's counsel so is my desire, say but 
the word and ere the hour glassshed itlast sand, the blast of our trum- 
pet shall be ringing through the Vivarambla. [Pause — no answer from 
crotod.'] Alas! if our voices, Muza, fall thus coldly upon our warriors 
and nobles, how can ye stir the breadless and heartless multitude. Is 
it your general wish that the city be surrended ? [A niurmitr of yes 



22 ALMAMEN ; OR, 



from CToivd.'] Go then, Abdelemic, go with yon Spaniards and throw 
wide our gates that the foe may enter. The crown has passed from 
the head of Boabdil, fate sets her seal upon my brow. \^All how in 
silence. ~\ 

Muza. Women, not men, ye weep as if ye had not blood still to 
shed ! Ye are reconciled to the loss of liberty because ye are told 
that ye shall lose nothing else ; fools and dupes ! I see from the spot 
where my spirit stands above ye, the dark and dismal future to which 
ye are crawling on your knees — bondage and rapine — the violence of 
lawless lust — the persecution of hostile faith — your gold wrung from 
you by torture — your national name rooted from the soil. Bear this 
and remember me ! Farewell Boabdil ! You I pity not ; for your 
gardens have yet a poison, your armies a swprd. Farewell nobles and 
santons of Granada, [ quit my country while it is yet free. \^Exit Muza 
[ The gates are thrown open and Christians enter as curtain drops 



ACT V. 

Scene I. Lonely ivood near Granada. — Enter Almamen. 

Almamen. Dread and prophetic spirit that art within me this then 
is the spot, that by dream and vision thou hast foretold to me, wherein 
to consummate my vow. Night after night hast thou brought befoi-e 
mine eyes, in darkness and in slumber, the solemn solitude that I 
now survey. Be it so — I am prepared. 

Enter Muza. 

Muza. Fiend or Santon, whatsoever thou art, what seekest thou in 
these lonely places, far from the king thy counsels deluded, and the 
ciiy betrayed by thy false prophecies and unhallowed charms ? 

Alm^ Ha ! by thy black plume and the tone of thy haughty voice, 
I know the hero of Granada. Rather tell me, Muza ben Abil, why art 
thou absent from the last hold of the Moorish Empire ? 

Muza. Dost thou pretend to read the future, and art thou blind to 
to the present ? Granada has capitulated to the Spaniard. Alone I 
have left a land of slaves, and shall seek in our ancestrial Africa, 
some spot where the foot of the misbeliever hath not trodden. 

Aim. The fate of one bigotry is then sealed, but that which suc- 
ceeds it is yet more dark, 

Muza. Dog ! What art thou that thus blasphemest? 

Abu. [Drawing scimeter.l A Jew, a despised and despising Jew ! 
Ask you more? I am the son of a race of kings. I was the worst 
enemy of the moors, till I found the Nazarene more hateful than the 
Moslem, and then even Muza himself was not their more renowned 
champion. Come on if thou wilt, man to man, I defy thee ! 

3Iuza. No! no! Thy mail is rusted with the blood of the Span- 
iard, and this arm cannot smite the slayer of the Christian. — Part we 
in peace. 



THE CONQUEST OF GRANADA. 23 

Aim. Hold, prince, is thy country the sole thing dear to thee? 
Has the smile of women never stolen l)eneath thine armor? Has thy 
heart never beat for softer meetings than the encounter of a foe? 

Muza. I am human and a Moor. For once you devine aright; and 
could thy spells bestow on these eyes but one more sight of the last 
treasure left to me on earth, I should be as credulous of thy sorcery as 
Boabdil. 

Aim. Thou lovest her still then, this Leila? 

Muxa. Dark necromancer, hast thou read my secret, and knowest 
thou the name of my beloved one ? Ah ! let me believe thee indeed 
wise. Yes, Allah forgive me ! but when all was lost at Granada, I 
had still one consolation in leaving my fated birth place. I had 
license to search for Leila. I had the hope to secure to my wander- 
ings in distant lands, one to whose glance the eyes of the houris would 
be dim. But I waste words. Tell me where is Leila and conduct me 
to her. 

Aim. Moslem, I will lead thee to her — I will lead thee to her — fol- 
low me. It was only yesternight that I learned the walls that confined 
her, and from that hour to this, I have journeyed over mountain and 
desert without rest or food. 

Muza. Yet, what is she to thee ? 

Aim. Thou shalt learn full soon — let us on. I have reserved the 
bravest of the moors to witness a deed worthy of the descendant of 
Jeptha. [Uzeunt Almamen arid Muza. 



END SCENE T. 

Scene II — Act V. 

Leila seated at table on which crucifix and death's head — low 
music of organ — goes and kneels at crucifix. 

Leila. Support me, Redeemer, support thy creature ! Strengthen 
her steps in the blessed path, though it divide her irrevocably from 
all that on earth she loves. [Rises and walks to table.] Love ! ah ! in 
that one poor word as in an urn, lie the ashes of all affection. Ah 
Muza, Muza ! we may never, never meet again below, but it is a sol- 
ace to pray that we may meet above. [Sits dejected.] 

[During introduction of Muza, Leila does not look toivards him. — 
Enter Abbess followed by Muza in disguise of priest or friar. 

Abbess. Daughter I have brought thee the comfort of a sacred vis- 
itor. The Queen of Spain whose pious tenderness is maternally anx- 
ious for thy full contentment with thy lot, has sent hither a holy friar, 
whom she deems more soothing in his counsels than our brother 
Tomas, whose ardent zeal often terrifies those whom his honest spirit 
only desires to purify and guide. I will leave him with thee. May 
the saints bless his ministry. [Exit Abbess. 

[Muza closes door carefully and sits on stool at other side of table. 

Muza. Daughter, it is a rugged and mournful lot this renunciation. 



24 



of earth and all its fair destinies. Confide in me, cliild. I am no 
dire inquisitor, seeking to distort thy words to thine own peril. 
Beneath these robes still beats a human heart. Confide in me without 
fear. Dost thou not dread thefite they would force upon thee? Dost 
thou not shrink back ? Wouldst thou not be free ? 

Lei. [Hesitatingly. 1 No, sire, no. 

Muza. [Eaniestli/.] Pause, pause ; there is yet time. 

Lei. [ With .mrprise.] Nay, even were I so weak, escape now is 
impossible. What hand could unbar the gates of the convent? 

3Iuza. [Eagerly.'] Mine ! Yes, I have that power. In all Spain 
but one man can save thee, and I am he. 

Lei. You ! And who are you that could resist the fiat of Tomas 
de Torquemada, before whom the crowned heads of Castile and Arra- 
gon bow low ? 

Muza. [In deep, half whispered voice.] Leila, listen to me. Isabel 
of Spain, selected a friar of suasive eloquence and gentle manners to 
visit thee. He was charged with letters to your abbess from the 
Queen. Soft though the friar, he was yet a hypocrite — nay hear me 
out — he loved to worship the rising sun, and did not wish always to 
remain a simple friar, while the church had higher dignities of this 
earth to bestow. There was one, Leila, who burned for tidings of thee, 
whom thine image haunted, who loved thee with a love he knew not of 
till thou wert lost to him. Why dost thou tremble? Listen yet. To 
that lover came the monk; to that lover the monk sold his mission. 
The lover took his garb, and he took the letters and hastened hither. 
Leila ! beloved Leila ! behold him at thy feet. 

[Raises cowl and drops on his knees. 

Lei. [Utters a faint cry.] You, Muza! my beloved ! [Speaking 
ah.stractedly.] Oh, my God ! why have you forsaken me ? 

Muza. Hear me, Leila, Fly with me. Leave this scpulcher ere the 
last stone closf^ over thee forever! I have horses, I have guards at 
hand. This night all can be arranged. Yes, this night, Leila, thou 
mayst be rendered up to earth and love. 

Lei. Nay, Muza, it cannot be; it cannot be. 

Muza. Oh bethink thee, bethink thee well of the consequences of 
thy refusal ; thou canst not see them yet. But when hour after hour, 
day after day, year after yeai*, steals on in the appalling monotony of 
this sanctified prison ; when thou shalt see thy youth withering with- 
out love, thine age without honor, then will thy grief be rendered 
tenfold by the despairing thought, that thine own lips sealed thine 
own sentence. Oh Leila! do not, do not reject me. You know not 
hoAv rare, how deep a love you cast away. [Leila hows her head on 
table and toeeps.] Oh Leila, loook at yonder sunbeam struggling 
through thy cell ; is it not a messenger from the happy world ? Does 
it not plead for me? Does it not whisper to thee of the green fields 
and laughing vineyards, and all the beauties of that earth thou art 
about to renounce forever ? Dost thou dread my love ? Are the forms 



THE CONQUEST OP GRANADA. 25 



around thee, ascetic and lifeless, fairer to thine eyes than I? Dost 
thou doubt my power to protect thee ? I tell thee that the proudest 
musselmen of Spain would flock around my banner, were it neces- 
sary to guard thee by force of arms. Yet speak the word — be mine, 
and I will fly hence with thee to climes where the church has not cast 
out its deadly roots, and forgetful of wars and fame live alone for 
thee. 

Lei. Oh Muza ! tempt me not, tempt me not. Irrevocable is the 
fate that holds me ! Go thou alone. Pursue the great destinies that 
await you. And if you forgive, if you still cherish a thought of the 
poor Jewish maiden, soften, alleviate, mitigate the wretched and des- 
perate doom that awaits the fallen race she has abandoned, [Starts 
off.-] 

3Iuza. Stay, Leila, take time at least to pause and consider. Let 
me see thee again to-morrow. 

Lei. No, Muza, no — not again. Thou knowest not how deeply I 
love you — mine honor — 

Muza. Hold ! Name it not. I torment, I harass you no more. I 
release you from any importunity, [ Walks toward door.] Farewell, 
Leila — farewell ! We shall meet again in heaven. [^Exit Muza. 

LeL Farewell, Muza! — my last, my only love! \_Exit Leila. 



Scene III — Act V. 

The chapel room of convent with elevated altar — lighted candles burn- 
ing — music hy organ and chorus of nuns — crowd of peasants gazing 
in at door — group of nuns on each side of altar — several monks on 
platform of altar^ among whom is Muza disguised. 
Enter Tomas de Torqvemat) a followed by Leila and several nuns — 
ToMAS and Leila in white — they kneel at altar — chorus — a 
shout heard from croiod outside — Almamen rushes in. 
Almamen. Speak ! speak to me or I shall be turned to stone by one 
horrid thought. It is not before that symbol that thou kneelest in 
adoration ? 

Lei. Oh ! father — 

Aim. Be dumb. \_Totters back.] Mad! mad! yes, this is but a 
delirium, and I am tempted with a devil. Oh my child ! \_Seizes 
Leila.] 

Tomas. [Holds up crucifix.] Avaunt, abandon here thy sorcery ; 
thine arts cannot avail thee. Release the devoted one of God, 

Aim. She is mine ! She is my daughter. I claim her from thee 
as a father, in the name of the great sire of man, 
Tomas. Seize the sorcerer ! Seize him ! 

[Almamen springs with Leila to first step of altar. 
Aim. Back ! [ To crowd.] 



Lei. [Falling at his feet.'] Oh, my father I Wrestle not against the 
decrees of heaven. Thy daughter is not compelled to her solemn 
choice. Humbly and devotedly a convert to the christian creed, her 
only wish on earth is to take the consecrated and eternal vow. 

Aim. Ha ! [^Releases his hold and 'Levla. falls on her knees.] Then 
have I been told, as I have foreseen, the worst. The veil is rent — the 
spirt hath left the temple. Thy beauty is desecrated, thy form is but 
unhallowed clay. Dog! [Glaring on Tomas.] this is thy work ; but 
thou shalt not triumph. Here by thine own shrines, I spit at and 
defy thee as once before, amidst the tortures of thy inhuman court. 
Thus — thus — thus, Almamen, the jew, delivers the Inst of his house 
from the curse of Galilee. [Stabs Leila. 

Muza. [Rushing from crowd.] Hold, madman ! Hold ! 

Lei. [Falling into Muza's arms.] Strike him not, Muza — hold thy 
sword — we two must meet where murderers enter not — Ah ! where art 
thou, love ? — I see thee not — one kiss — [She dies. 

Muza. Speak to me, Leila ! Speak again ! 

Aim. Ay, she will speak to thee from that hot-hell where thy soul 
must keep her company. 

Priest. Seize him! 'Tis the santon of the white banner! 

All. The Jew? 

Aim. Yes, the jew! Come on ye howling demons! The son of 
Issachar defied ye living and he'll defy ye dead ! [Soldiers rush upon 
him with spears as curtain descends. 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 

nr 

015 910 109 5 ^ 



